There are many areas across the country that have significant amounts and types of contaminants in their drinking water. It is desirable, of course, to remove contaminants if possible; however, there have been a number of difficulties associated with producing a device that will remove a wide variety of target contaminants quickly and simply, and in an inexpensive manner.
According to the present invention, a water treatment apparatus is provided which is simple and inexpensive to manufacture, simple and easy to use, and successfully removes a wide variety of, or any desired specific, contaminants normally present in tap water. The apparatus cooperates with a conventional common household container such as an empty milk bottle or juice jug, or like plastic or glass bottles, and ensures that only treated water is dispensed from the container once it is filled with water which is treated by the apparatus.
The three basic components of the apparatus according to the invention comprise an elongated tube, a cartridge containing water treatment media, and a cap. An additional adaptor component is also provided which enables use of a single cap design with different container or bottle designs.
The tube, which commonly would be of plastic, has open first and second ends. Adjacent its open first end, the tube has a plurality of projections extending radially from it, which projections are spaced from each other circumferentially around the tube, and which are adapted to make an interference fit with the interior surface of the neck of a conventional bottle or the like. A radially outwardly extending flange is also provided on the top of the projections, the flange minimizing the possibility that water will enter the bottle except by flowing through the open first end of the tube. The components are dimensioned so that liquid from within the bottle can flow between the interior surface of the bottle neck and the exterior surface of the tube, around the projections and past the flange, to be dispensed.
The water treatment media can comprise any of a wide variety of water treatment media such as activated carbon (or like material) to remove organic materials; silver impregnated coral sand (or like media) to destroy bacteria; ion exchange resins for removing sodium or other specific ionic materials; and/or materials which leach magnesium and calcium back into the water. Media typically would be disposed within a cartridge, and the cartridge inserted into the tube adjacent the open second end thereof.
The cap cooperates with the exterior surface of the bottle neck, and is adapted to close off the tube first end while allowing passage of liquid from within the bottle between the tube and the neck. In one exemplary embodiment, the cap includes an upper portion axially spaced from and substantially co-extensive with a lower portion, the lower portion having a plurality of arcuately shaped openings therein which are circumferentially spaced from each other around substantially 360 degrees. The upper and lower portions are spaced from each other a distance sufficient to allow liquid to flow through the openings in the lower portion top surface and to the space between the upper portion and the lower portion, and then away from the cap. The cap is affixed to the outer surface of the bottle neck by screw threads, cooperating snap rings, or the like. The cap typically would be made of high density polyethylene.
In another embodiment, the upper portion of the cap, axially spaced from the lower portion of the cap by an integral center peg, is removable by reason of the center peg being snap-fit into a hole formed in the lower portion.
In another embodiment, the upper portion of the cap is captured within the lower portion of the cap but frictionally slidable between open and closed positions.
In still another embodiment, the upper portion of the cap is captured within the lower portion of the cap but freely slidable therein so that it remains normally closed by reason of gravitational forces when the bottle or container is in an upright position, but opens automatically upon a substantial tilting movement.
In a related aspect, this invention provides an adaptor which converts a bottle designed for snap-on tops or caps to a bottle which is capable of receiving screw-on caps.
It is, therefore, the primary object of the present invention to provide a simple yet effective water treatment apparatus which may be simply and inexpensively used for removing contaminants from drinking water. This and other objects of the invention will become clear from an inspection of the detailed description of the drawings, and from the appended claims.